The Female Techno Wizard

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How to Remove A Computer Virus

On my blog from earlier days, a customer asks: “Is there a way I can get rid of viruses my computer has without having to have a repairman take a look at it?” I say absolutely!!

1. The Diagnosis

Say your computer is acting weird. You think something is wrong and you may be dealing with a virus. You know this could be damaging for the information you have on there and for the computer itself. You either act quickly, or you stay in denial until something worse happens. But you’re not sure where to start. I suggest you start with a good anti-virus program here.

2. Stay Calm

In many cases, if we overreact to a virus it can lead to damage much worse than the virus would have done if you had waited until it “went away”! In other words, don’t panic. A virus is – generally speaking – pretty simple to isolate and remove. It’s usually not necessary to reformat the entire computer; a drastic step many people take. Not only is this time consuming, you are also putting your non-infected data at risk of being lost.

3. “Quarantine” the Virus”

Unless you know enough about viruses, to be able to distinguish one from the other, and types of hardware or software problems, a FREE antivirus program Stinger or Spybot S & D aids should detect the virus for you. Once it has done so, be sure to write down the exact name of the virus, because not all viruses are removed with the same techniques.

4. Adios to the Culprit

If you can, delete viruses upon detection – if they are attached to an executable (.exe) file you need and you haven’t backed it up, it is possible to disinfect the file. However, this doesn’t always work and could have a bad effect your computer.

5. Make sure it’s gone

It’s not enough to simply assume you have eliminated the virus. Instead, it’s necessary to have your antivirus software rescan your computer. In fact, it is recommended you have two (update on website) Stinger or Spybot S & Dprograms run scans on your computer, as they are known at times to find the other one doesn’t.

I tell my clients, the best and most reliable way to make sure your computer is rid of viruses is kick bad habits online by not opening forwarded emails, do not forward emails and most important of which is always practicing safe computing.